PDF/UA-1 · CLAUSE 7.18.8
Annotation is not tagged or described
An annotation is not nested in an Annot tag, has no Contents or Alt description, or uses a subtype that PDF/UA forbids.
Why it matters
Comments, stamps, and other annotations are either skipped entirely or announced with no explanation of what they are.
How to fix it
- Nest annotations inside an Annot structure element, except Widget, Link, and PrinterMark annotations.
- Give every visible annotation a Contents value describing it.
- Remove TrapNet annotations and mark printer marks as artifacts.
WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content (A)
WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A)
What the standard says
PrinterMark annotations, if present, shall be considered Incidental Artifacts, as if they are hidden page elements as defined in ISO 32000-1:2008, 14.8.2.2.3
Check your own PDF
Validate a file against PDF/UA-1 and see whether this rule fails in your document.
curl -sS -X POST "https://api.ua1.dev/api/validate?format=compact&profile=ua1" \ -F "file=@document.pdf"